Agents of the North Wind
by FantasyBard
Summary: North Wind agents are the top of their field. They are sworn to defend the helpless and bring evil doers to justice. But for one of its agents, a fox by the name of Lara, being one of those agents is important and dangerous than usual. When your family is the very one that you have to fight, it is never easy. Lucky for Lara, the North Wind has become her family.
1. Diversion

**Hello, my name is Fantasy Bard, and this is my attempt to write a story about Penguins of Madagascar the movie. I first went to see this movie because of Benedict Cumberbatch, as I think a few other people did. But I was surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. So, I decided that I would try to write a fan fiction about it. **

**I should warn some people ahead of time that I have really only seen the first of the Madagascar movies, and that this story will probably only feature the penguins. That being said, I have tried to be as accurate to their characters as I can, while trying to expand a bit more of the world that we saw in the movie. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Penguins of Madagascar. They are the property of Dreamworks Animation. I am only borrowing their world for a little while to make use of imaginary purposes. **

**This story is going to be a Classified/OC, and will be rated K+. **

**Now, without further ado, please enjoy the first chapter of Agents of the North Wind. **

Diversion:

**The Glorious Present**

**Tokyo, Japan**

Deep underneath the glistening lights of Tokyo, Japan, a villainous plot was in the process of unfolding. Along an abandoned system of sewer pipes, evil laughter rang along the metal and iron. Inside a great chamber, three animals were strapped to large metal tables, with wicked looking spikes and hammers suspended above them by various pieces of high tech equipment.

Around the edges of the room stood guards of the avian persuasion, all laughing and heckling the prisoners.

Standing in the very center of the room was a blue heron, his eyes glittering evilly as he surveyed his victims: a polar bear, a seal and a tiger. "Well, well, this is a fine showing for your North Wind corporation. I managed to capture all of you so easily, and now you shall suffer my wrath."

No doubt he had meant to look threatening and devious, but his so-called victims only looked very bored. "Honestly, Larry," said the tiger, a male by the name of Justin. "You couldn't come up with anything that was the least bit original."

"Don't call me, Larry." The blue heron protested. "My name is..." Here he paused for dramatic effect, and struck what he though was an appropriately threatening pose. "Beakzilla!"

He paused here, expecting his victims to gasp in terror. They didn't. Instead, they merely stared at him blankly. "Really, Beakzilla?" questioned the seal, Short Fuse. "That's the best name you cold come up with? That's the lamest name ever, really."

"Silence!" cried Larry, or Beakzilla, "You do not laugh at Beakzilla! No one laughs at the Master of Tokyo's underground."

"I wonder what the fifteen other Master of Tokyo's underground would think of that." said Justin, "Most of them are a bit more threatening than you are and have been around a lot longer."

"Yeah, you're just a beginner." said Short Fuse, "You've only been around a few years."

Beakzilla was looking between wildly, overwhelmed by what he was hearing, and he did not seem to be taking the criticism well, however well intentioned it was.

"Hey, guys, go easy on him, okay." said the polar bear, named Corporeal. "Like you said, he's just starting out. Look at him, his confidence is shattered. You can't blame him."

"Be quiet, Beakzilla." Beakzilla cried, "I don't need your sympathy. I am the best there is, and you have failed to see that. You must be punished. Behold!" He gestured grandly upwards to the contraption that controlled all of the various torture devices. "My Master Machine of Menace." he paused, before a slightly goofy smile appeared on his beak. "Great name, huh? I worked all night on it."

"Really? You nights must be must be shorter here in Tokyo than other places." said Justin.

"No more talking." said Beakzilla, once more, assuming his dark mood. "You will all cry and beg for mercy before this is over! You have met your doom! Be prepared, for all your worst nightmares are about to come true."

Dramatically, he flipped a large switch, and... nothing happened, at all. Beakzilla's cocky expression wilted. He whirled back to the control panel and began tapping on the keyboards and other controllers furiously. "No, no, no. this isn't right. It was supposed to start stabbing and mutilating you in horrific ways. Why isn't it working?"

"Don't be discouraged." said Corporeal, helpfully, "A lot of tech fails on the first try. I did think our speech was very intimidating."

Beakzilla let out a sudden howl of anger, and turned on Corporeal. "One more word, you overgrown snowball, and I'll cut out your tongue myself."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the lights inside the room immediately started blinking on and off crazily. "What? What's going on?" said Beakzilla.

No one would have been able to answer. The next second, the lights went off completely. "What's going on?" Beakzilla's shrill voice demanded out of the darkness, even as his minions scrambled around in the dark, bumping into each other and generally doing nothing that would help their master. "Did one of you idiots forget to pay the electric bill?"

Suddenly, the lights came back on, only they were so bright that they temporarily served to blind everyone in the room. And by the time their eyes had adjusted, they had received two new visitors.

A large gray wolf was leaning casually against the far wall, while in front of Beakzilla on the opposite side of the large control panel was a golden fox. They had both appeared out of nowhere, and when Beakzilla saw theM, he squawked in what was a decidedly unvillain like manner.

The fox smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I startle you?"

"How did you...? What are you...? Where...?" spluttered Beakzilla.

"I believe the answer to the questions that you're trying to ask are as follows." said the gray wolf, who whose name was Classified. (His name wasn't actually "Classified", of course. But since he was the leader of an elite team, his name was known to only a few agents of the North Wind. Actually, his real name was Franklin). "We snuck into this facility through the unguarded tunnels. Those who were supposed to be guarding this area are gagged and bound, awaiting judgment, and we are here to rescue our teammates."

"Well put, Classified." said the fox, codenamed Lady (though her real name was Lara). "You always do have an amazing eloquence even in the midst of interrogation."

"Thank you, Agent Lady." said Classified, bowing low and walking towards them, "I do try."

Beakzilla had regained his composure by this point, and he was even angrier than he had been before. "More of your North Wind interference! You will pay for your impertinence and your trespassing."

"This doesn't have to end in violence, Laurence." said Classified, "Give yourself up and no one will get hurt."

"My name isn't Laurence! It's Beakzilla!"

"No, it isn't."

"Is to."

"Is not."

"Is to."

"Gentlemen," Lady interrupted, "Much as I hate to break into such a well thought out argument, I believe we are working on a deadline, Classified."

"Oh, right, of course, best move on then." classified had moved even closer to where Lady was standing, until the two of them were standing side by side. "You have one final chance, Laurence. Surrender, and the North Wind will be willing To work out a deal."

"I shall never surrender!" cried Beakzilla, "In case you haven't noticed, I have you surrounded." He gestured grandly to the surrounding catwalks above them, where stood various ducks, geese and a random stork who all began to point their guns menacingly at the two agents, and were advancing on their position. "Perhaps you should be the ones who wish to discuss surrendering."

Immediately, Classified and Lady moved to stand back to back. Their weapons were out, and at the ready. Their keen eyes and senses, trained over many years in the field, were scoping out every single one of their opponents. They were alert to any threat these birds might pose, and more importantly, they had a plan to overcome each and every single one of them.

"Off hand, how many do you think you could take down before they really became a threat?" Classified asked, in a decidedly lighter tone than might be expected for the dire situation they were supposedly in.

"Oh, I don't know, six? I'm feeling lucky today."

"You're certainly optimistic about those chances. Last time, your estimate was three. I certainly hope to see you deliver on that promise."

"If there's anything you should know about me, Classified, it is that I never disappoint."

Classified grinned wolfishly. "Oh, I know that from personal experience, darling. You've always had excellent aim."

"I'm not the only one, sweetie. I've certainly never had a complaint about your aim."

"My aim is always perfect, darling. Regardless of what gun I'm using."

Beakzilla and the prisoners all gaped at the canine couple in complete shock and disbelief. "You're flirting?" said Beakzilla, "You're actually flirting?!"

"I think I might be in agreement with Larry on this." said Justin, "Time and place for everything, guys."

"Yeah, I don't suppose you could concentrate on more important things, like, you know, saving us." said Short Fuse, irritably.

"Oh, very well, if you insist." said Classified, with a rater bored expression.

The following fight embarrassingly short. Between Classified and Lady, they managed to take out Beakzilla's followers with relatively little effort. Their boasting about their aim had not been in vain, as they were both able to take out ten of the followers before the birds had gotten to within five feet of them. The bullets they were using were merely tranquilizers, but that didn't make any real difference to the enemy. The moment they saw what they truly up against, the entire horde broke formation, and started running for the nearest exit, pushing and shoving each other to get out of the way fast enough. In less than five minutes, Beakzilla was left on his own and completely defenseless.

Beakzilla threw himself down on the ground and began to cry in anguish. "No, no, no! I am a failure! I will ever live this down."

"Oh, come now." said Classified, cheerfully, as he approached the heron and proceeded to hnnd cuff him (or wing cuff him, as the case might be). "You might even thank us for this, one day."

"Thank you? Why on earth would I thank you?"

Lady was in the process of freeing Justin, Corporal and Short Fuse from their respective restraints. Once she had finished, she sauntered over to Larry and said, "You never seemed to consider, Larry, that you were a small fish in a vast ocean of criminals the North Wind is trying to catch. Did you never stop to wonder why three top operatives allowed themselves to be captured by you?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Larry.

"Only that we were never meant to be the the primary target, Larry." said Justin, who was standing up and rubbing the circulation back int his paws. "We were the diversion."

Larry's face grew suddenly very worried. "What... what do you mean?"

"Those prisoners you were keeping in the lower levels?" said Lady, "Well, they're ours now."

Larry's eyes grew wide with shock. "You... you can't mean... you took them? You took them from me."

"Yep." said Lady, "and I can assure you that they will be much safer with us than they would be with you."

Larry was trembling all over by this point, from what appeared to a strange mixture of fear and anger. "You don't know what you've done, to yourselves, to me. I was told to keep those prisoners on the penalty of my own life."

"Which is exactly why we're taking you int custody." said Classified, "Like I said, you'll be thanking us." He looked over at the polar bear. "Corporeal, bring our guest to the jet. Show him our best accommodations."

Corporeal threw a smart salute, and went over to the pathetic heron, picking him up. "Come on, Larry. We'll make you all nice and cozy for the trip."

Larry did his best to kick and protest, but Corporeal, though he might have been a hairy marshmallow, was nonetheless to strong to be bested, and continued chattering on as though nothing were out of the ordinary.

"You two sure took our time." said Short Fuse, "He was about to chop all of us into mince meat."

"He might have succeeded too, if I hadn't been able to disrupt his signal." said Justin, as he held up his left paw, which was actually a cybernetic attachment. He had lost his original limb in an altercation a few years before with a psychotic chipmunk (don't ask. It's a long story). The cybernetic paw was controlled by his thoughts, and he could use it to do all matter of things regarding technology, including hacking into security cameras, opening locked doors, and in this case, disrupting signals to shut down computer systems. "I knew that there was a reason I had this installed."

"And you didn't tell us this, why?" demanded Short Fuse.

"Well, I had to keep the reactions of all of us as convincing as possible."

Classified's watch beeped. A message was incoming. He pressed a button on the watch, and a holographic transmission appeared, of a white snowy owl named Eva, and, hanging upside down, a large, brown fruit bat, whose name was Giselle.

"Eva, Giselle, have you secured our passengers?" Lady asked.

"Roger that, Lady." said Giselle, with her Australian accent. "We've got Adam and Jessica on our submarine. They're all ready to get to the safe house."

"You didn't have any trouble did you?" asked Classified.

"Just a few idiots who thought they knew how to fight until they went up against us." said Eva, "We got Larry's computer files, as well. Whether or not we will be finding anything useful will have to do with how extensive his connections were."

"That's all right, Eva." said Classified, "Jessica and her son were the priority here. We'll be returning in a few moments. Have the jet prepared for take off."

"And the sub ready for diving." said Lady told Giselle.

"Will do, boss mate. See you in a few."

Eva and Giselle vanished. "Well, the bad guy was defeated and the prisoners in distress saved." said Justin. "Seems like a pretty good day for the heroes of the North Wind."

"We're not out of the woods yet." said Lady, "We still need to get Jessica and Adam to the safe house."

"Yes, yes, but that should be easy after this." said Justin, "I'll be getting the drinks when we all meet back at North Wind headquarters."

"I'll hold you to that." said Short Fuse, as the seal and tiger began making their way down the hall. Classified and Lady following them at a leisurely stroll. "We should leave the rest of his minions." said Lady, referring to the dozen or so unconscious birds around the room. "They'll fade into the background, or return to wherever they crawled out of."

"Hopefully, their little encounter with the North Wind will remind them that crime does not pay." said Classified with a smirk. "By the way, I might have the capacity to disappear for a weekend in a few weeks."

Lady threw him a knowing grin. "Well, what a coincidence, I just might be able to do that myself."

"Where do you want to go?" Lady opened her mouth, before Classified stopped her. "Please don't say Barcelona. You always say Barcelona."

"Well, I can't help it if Barcelona is beautiful this time of year."

"I know, but we always go there. Can't we do something different, like Washington DC? We haven't been there since the affair with the group of Russian pandas who though they could take over the Smithsonian."

"Yes, it might be nice to see DC without dodging bamboo blow darts."

"I'll make the arrangements." he stepped closer and nuzzled her affectionately, as he said in a gentle whisper. "See you then, Lara."

"I look forward to it, Franklin."

**Well, what do you think? I admit that tshis first chapter is a little rough, but like the opening scene of every good action movie, I wanted to introduce characters, but also lay the groundwork for some of the things which I am planning for in the future. **

**So, please drop a review and tell me what you thought. I always love to hear reviews and constructive criticism, which since I am not an expert on this particular fandom would be greatly appreciated. However, no flames of disrespect, please, as such reviews are ignored or deleted. **

**As for the penguins, don't worry, they will be making an appearance at some point, but maybe not for a few chapters. I kind of want to establish a few more things about the North Wind, in particular the way that they do the things a little bit more in depth than they did in the movie. **

**Again, thanks for reading. **


	2. Loss

**Wow! So many people have reviewed this story. I am so glad that the first chapter got such a great reception. Hopefully, I will be able to keep it up. **

**We get a little peek of Lara's past in this chapter. It might be a good idea to let you all know that I am hoping to introduce many aspects of this story gradually. There will be a few chapters, such as this one, which take place in a flashback mode, so I can introduce characters' origins and such. **

**I don't really want to get completely bogged down in exposition right from he beginning, so there might be some elements of the plot that seem a little confusing at first, but don't worry, everything will become clear. **

**Now, with that out of the way, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Loss:

**The tragic past**

**Undisclosed safe house in South Pacific**

The little golden fox cub had no idea that today her life would change forever. Nobody else thought so, either. The team that normally escorted her father, Patrick, to and from the safe house believed that this was simply going to be another routine mission of bringing him into Headquarters for another meeting.

As Lara played in front of the small house on the deserted island which had been her home for as long as she could remember, Patrick, and the raccoon agent in charge of the protection detail named Joel, watched her from afar.

"She is growing quickly." Joel observed.

"Yes," said Patrick, fondly. "And very smart, just the other day, she was taking apart your holo imager."

"I'm just glad you were able to put it back together again." said Joel, "Hopefully, she'll figure to how to do that soon enough. Otherwise, none of our tech will be safe."

The two friends exchanged smiles, before they became serious once more. "The helicopter will be here any moment." said Joel, "You should say your goodbyes."

The scarlet fox nodded, and left his friend to prepare for the landing and walked over to Lara. Seeing him, Lara left off playing with her toy truck and ran over to him. "Dad, are you leaving?"

"In a little while, dear." said Patrick, "I'm sorry I won't be here for your birthday, but your aunts and uncles will make sure that it's an extra special day."

"I still wish that you could be here." said Lara, sadly.

Patrick felt an overwhelming sense of guilt at this. Poor Lara was always so alone. He had always known that she wasn't happy here. She had never been anywhere else that she could remember, and already her young mind was thirsting for a taste of the world beyond the safe house. It didn't help that he had to be gone so very often. Many times, he had to leave at a moment's notice and at the most inconvenient of times. Hence, why he would not be able to be here to celebrate her birthday. She had come to consider the agents who watched over her during his absences to be her adopted family. But there was no one her own age to play with. Patrick knew that she could sometimes be very lonely.

He had never wanted this for Lara, but he also knew that this was necessary. Ever since he had made the choice to seek asylum with the North Wind, he had known that he would have to make sacrifices in order to make sure that Lara's mother never found them. As hard as it was for him to see Lara like this, he knew that it was better than her becoming hard and cold like her mother.

But, if his meeting was successful, that might soon be changing. Patrick was going to the North Wind Headquarters so that he could meet with the Director about new living arrangements for Lara. It was time that she saw the world, and if he could just arrange for her to be placed in one of the North Wind's base operations, he knew that it would be the best move for her.

For now, though, did not want to get her hopes up. So, he smiled in a comforting manner and said, "I know, sweetie. But maybe an early birthday present will help you to feel better."

Lara immediately looked up, her eyes shining. "Really? Your letting me have an early birthday present?"

"Yes, I figured it was the very least that I could do. Now, close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you."

Eagerly, Lara closed her eyes. Patrick took out the gift and fastened it around her neck. "All right, open them."

Lara opened her eyes and gasped. Hanging around her neck was a golden locket, intricately carved and centered around a shimmering green emerald. "Oh, dad! I love it! It's beautiful!"

"I'm glad you think so, but this is more than just a beautiful piece of jewelry."

He reached out and opened the locket, showing her the picture inside. It was a picture which had been taken only a few weeks before. They had been swimming in the waters near he beach, when Lara had umped on Patrick's shoulders, and he had towed her around the shallows, the two of them laughing. It was one of the few times when all the cares which he carried were lightened, and he could almost pretend that his lie was normal.

"I wanted to give you this, so that you will always be able to remember me." He closed one of her paws over the locket, and then covered her heart with his own. "I'm always here with you, no matter what."

Lara laughed and threw her arms around her father. "I already know that, dad. I love you."

Patrick returned the embrace. "I love you too, Lara."

Someone clearing their throat behind them interrupted the moment. They looked up only to see that Joel was there. "It's time." He said.

Patrick nodded and said, "All right. Be right there." He turned back to Lara and gave her one more hug. "Goodbye, Lara. Behave, remember, and be good."

Lara nodded. "I will be, dad. I promise you."

The events that followed would always be remembered by Lara as a terrible nightmare, with everything seeming to move in slow motion and with perfect clarity. Lara had run out to the landing pad, where the helicopter was approaching to land, so that she could wave goodbye to her father. Around the pad, there were five other agents, all keeping a close eye on the proceedings.

Patrick, Joel and another raccoon agent were escorting Patrick to the landing helicopter. The whirling blades filled the air with a roaring noise and kicked up dust that obscured her hearing and vision. But she was able to see her father as he turned around and waved to her one more time.

And she was able to see him when he was shut down.

The bullets came from the direction of the helicopter, round after round tore int her father and the two North Wind agents. It was only much later that Lara would learn that the helicopter had been part of an ambush, sent to kill her father.

Immediately, those stationed around the pad fell to the ground, seeking cover and firing back whenever they could. Two of them fell upon Lara, protecting her and holding her back, for she was screaming and trying to run to her father.

It only lasted a few seconds, but it seemed to go on for hours. However, the helicopter finally lifted off and flew away, continuing to fire off rounds. The agents that weren't dead or injured tried to shoot it down, but the ambush had been so unexpected that no one could stop those responsible from getting away.

Confusion was left in their wake, as the agents began racing around, contacting back up and medical help for the wounded. In the chaos, Lara scrambled away from the agents who were trying to hod her back and ran over to Patrick's bloodied and battered body. "Dad, dad." she cried, desperately as she fell to her knees beside him, and shook him. "Dad, please wake up."

Patrick's body had been torn apart by multiple gun shot wounds and his face was covered with blood. He rolled over, the life swiftly fading from his eyes. He gazed up into the desperate gaze of his daughter. Shakily, he raised one paw and touched her cheek. "L-Lara," he gasped, "I-I love you."

"Dad, no, please." cried Lara, seeing that her father was dying, and that she was powerless to do anything to sop it.

Patrick moved his paw to point at her heart. "Lara, remember, always here, with you..."

Those were the last word that Patrick ever spoke. His paw fell from her face, and his head fell back. His eyes were wide open, but they were now glassy and lifeless.

Lara could not believe it. She began screaming, pleading with her father to wake up, to come back to her. But it was all in vain. It was only with great difficult that the agents succeeded in pulling her away from the body, taking her to safety.

Lara's life changed forever that day. It set her on the course to a new destiny. She could never have imagined what it would mean for her later in life. But on that tragic day, she didn't know how she would ever be able to move on.

* * *

><p><strong>I know, more than a little sad. So, just in case you missed it, Lara is going to have some pretty big family issues when she grows up. As to who Lara's mother is and why Patrick was so desperate to keep his daughter away from her, all that will become apparent in the next few chapters. For now, please let me know what you think. <strong>

**Next chapter: We switch back to the present time, where we learn not only a bit more about Lara and Classified, but also who the big villain is, and what he plan is. **


	3. Affection

**Here is the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. **

**Just so everyone knows, I will sometimes be referring to Classified by the name I have given him. He does say in the movie that his name really isn't Classified, just that it is classified because he is a leader of an elite team. So, in moments when he is alone with Lara, they will be calling each other by their given names, and when the are with others, they will be referred to by their code names. I hope it doesn't get to confusing, bu it is just something that I am trying. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Affection:<p>

**The Present, Washington D.C.**

Sometimes, Lara wished that she didn't dream of the day her father died the night before her birthday; it was crummy way to begin celebrating. Not even having the comfort of Franklin sleeping at her side could fully drive the ghosts from her mind.

She knew that sleep wouldn't be coming any easier that night, so she got up and wandered over to the window. The American capital stretched out before her, with all it's monuments lit up under the night sky. She had had a wonderful weekend, and almost hated to see it end. It might have surprised some that Franklin could be such a romantic, especially when he had such a reputation of being tough, no-nonsense elite agent known to almost everyone as Classified. The truth was that he was quite a gentle canine. Franklin just didn't let that side of his personality show all that often.

It might wondered, of course, how animals could get by with walking upright and talking without being noticed, let alone staying in exclusive hotels. That information, however, is strictly proprietary. Let it just be said that the North Wind has it's methods of operating in the shadows, often right under the unsuspecting noses of humanity.

"You know, the last time I checked, the purpose of these long nights on R and R are meant to be used for resting." Came Franklin's voice behind her.

She turned around, only to see that he had gotten out of the bed and was coming towards her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, Franklin."

It was an occupational hazard of working with the North Wind that proper names could always be traced. Therefore, the names of those agents who led the most covert teams were often kept strictly confidential. The code names they were given became almost second nature, while there real names were known to only a few key people. Lara happened to be lucky in that regard. Having grown up with the wolf that nearly everyone in the North Wind knew as Classified, she was one of the few who knew him by his real name, Franklin.

"Please don't apologize, Lara. You should know better than anyone that I am a fairly light sleeper. A leaf falling to close to the window could wake me up." He reached out one paw and touched her face tenderly. "But, my guess is that it was something a bit more serious that was keeping you up."

Lara turned away, unwilling for him to see just how close his comment had hit home. "It was your father again, wasn't it." Franklin didn't need to phrase it as a question. He already knew to well how scarring that day had been for Lara, and that she had never fully recovered from the trauma.

Lara shook her head. "You'd think, after all this time, I would be able to put it to rest. But it still hurts just as much now as it did then."

"I can never imagine what you must have gone through, Lara, what you still go through." said Franklin, after a pause, "But you have to know that you don't ever have to feel alone when you go through times like this."

"I know." said Lara, "You, Giselle, Justin, even the others on your team. They're the closest thing that I have to a real family. But, sometimes... sometimes, I still feel so empty whenever I think about my father. I can still feel exactly like that little cub that you met all those years ago."

"You say that it's a bad thing. The day that we met, I knew from the start that you were something special." said Franklin.

Lara actually managed a smile. "The day that we met, I was a traumatized cub that wouldn't speak to you, or to anyone. Your father didn't want to take care of me, your brother thought that I was a prime target for torment. What made you possibly think that I was special?"

"It 's hard to put into words. But there was just something about the way that you saw the world around you, the way you held yourself. You were at the lowest point in your life, but you were far from broken. Even before you were aware of it, you had it in you to overcome any difficulty. You've always been strong, Lara. It's what made me fall in love with you. It's why I still love you. I can't say that the pain of your father's death will ever fully go away, but no matter what, I believe that you will never allow it to overcome you."

"But it will always help to know that you will be there to help me." said Lara, after a pause, "Honestly, if it hadn't been for you all these years, Franklin, it would have been a lot harder. You've always believed in me, even when no one else did. You even went against your father's wishes to support me."

Franklin scoffed. The topic of his father was a prickly subject, and not one that he particularly enjoyed discussing. "My father was and continues to be an idiot in his mistrust of you."

"Well, he's better than your brother. At least your father treats me with a modicum of veiled respect whenever we meet. James never makes any attempt to hide his disdain."

Franklin rolled. "Please don't mention James. The very mention of his name is enough to make my normally rigorous stance against using my karate skills for anything other than self defense."

"Oh, come on, Franklin, I was only being funny."

"I know, and you're feeling better now for it, aren't you?"

"Yes, I suppose that I am." She put her arms around Classified and buried her nose in the fur along his chest, inhaling the scent that always made her feel safe, and loved. "Thanks for always being there, Franklin."

Franklin allowed a very rare smiled to appear on his face as he pulled Lara closer to him. "Of course, Lara. I will always be here, always."

This tender moment between Franklin and Lara was suddenly interrupted by a beeping sound from the bedside table. Lara let out an irritated groan, while Franklin looked at the communication device with an angry glare. They had always known that their duties as agents needed to take precedence over their relationship. But they still didn't appreciate that sometimes the outside world knew exactly when to start pouncing on them.

Franklin stomped over to the communicator and snapped it. "Hello, Director," he barked out, "I do hope that there is a good reason for this. It's almost 2:00 in the morning where we are."

"And yet, you still answered." came the answer from the Director the North Wind, "And I do apologize for interrupting your leave, but we need both of you to report back to headquarters as soon as possible."

Both Lara and Franklin looked at each other, their annoyance changing rapidly into concern. The North Wind was always concerned about keeping their agents fit and ready for duty, which included giving them off time in order to rest and recuperate. Agents on leave were hardly ever called in, except if something serious had happened.

"What is it?" Lara asked.

"Giselle and Eva were able to decrypt the information you got off of Larry's computer systems. They found something that both of you need to see."

* * *

><p><strong>Tokyo, Japan<strong>

In the abandoned hideout of the villain formerly known as Beakzilla, a group of visitors had paid a visit. Animals of various kinds fanned out all around the complex. They went about their tasks with an single-minded efficiency that was almost chilling. They knew that the North Wind had been there before them. They knew that the damage had already been done. Now, they just needed to make sure that if anymore teams came back to conduct further investigations, they would find nothing. Whether this meant carefully cleaning the crime scene, wiping security camera feeds, or destroying the remnants of Beakzilla's avian followers did not matter. Each member had their own task, and they would accomplish it.

They were driven by extreme loyalty to their leader, and they knew that she did not take kindly to mistakes or oversights of any kind.

Her name was Marta. She was a black fox, intelligent, crafty and cold as ice. She was one of the most brilliant and dangerous criminal masterminds that the animal world had seen in a long time. She did not concern herself with anything predicable or boring, such as trying to take over the world. That was what villains with no imagination did. She much preferred a subtler game.

She liked to think of herself as a consultant. If a villain needed someone to do a certain specialized task, she could find just the right animal for the job. She could design weapons, that were as small as a disguised pistol in a box of bananas (when one of her clients had wanted to off a particularly troublesome rival who just happened to be orangutan), to the grander and more devious destruction of eliminating an entire colony of meerkats, making it look like a mysterious illness had wiped them out.

Marta knew just how powerful someone in her position was. Without her, no one would ever be able to put together their plans.

However, even the most brilliant of minds could make mistakes. In this instance, she knew to late that she had made a terrible mistake in placing her two most valuable hostages in the hands of such an idiot as Larry. She had thought that the North Wind would never have been able to find those two striped hyenas if she left them with such a second rate villain as Larry. But the heron must have slipped up, and allowed the North Wind to find him somehow. Larry would have to be dealt with.

Marta was brought out of her contemplations when one of her followers, a squirrel whose name she hadn't bothered to learn, nervously approached her. "Ma'am," he said, throwing her a smart salute, "sorry to disturb you, but Johanna is requesting your presence out on the landing pad. She has found something that she believed you would find interesting."

Marta did not bother to thank the squirrel, but swept past him, and went through the tunnels to the landing pad of Larry's hideout, a wide open space just outside the pipe's ending. There amidst a few more animals, was a scarlet fox who was on all fours, sniffing out the ground around her.

"Johanna, what have you found?" Marta said, without preamble.

Johanna straitened up and turned to her mother. "Mother, the North Wind, I believe I know which team specifically took in Larry. It was Classified."

Marta's golden eyes closed, and she clenched her fists tightly. "Classified, was it? Why does that imbecile keep turning up at the most inconvenient of times? His team always seems to the one that stands in the way of my plans the most."

"Mother, it wasn't just him. Lara was also here."

Marta opened her eyes and stared at Johanna. "Lara? Are you certain, Johanna?"

"Positive. The smell is incredibly distinctive." Marta turned away and walked a few steps away. This revelation affected in a much more personal way than the annoyance.

Johanna followed her, and spoke in a lower voice so that others around them wouldn't hear her. "Mother, if Lara was here, she must have had some suspicion that you were involved."

"Yes, yes, I know."

"The thing we have to consider is that if Lara and the North Wind were able to track our movements through Larry, there is no telling what else they might be able to find out from him."

"I know, which is why he must be silenced as soon as possible. Johanna, I want you to pay our contact in the North Wind a little visit. Tell him that I want Larry silenced before he can say anything."

Johanna nodded. "Do you have any idea when would be a good time? It's been difficult getting in contact with him the past few months. The North Wind must have upped their security measures. It will have to be done face to face if you want it to be as soon as possible."

Marta considered their options. "I believe that it will soon be time for the North Wind's semi-annual gala event. You know the one, it's a rather grand party attended by the elite of the agency, a chance for them to talk shop and see their families."

"I've heard of it." said Johanna, "But wouldn't the fact that there are multiple top agents there make it even riskier?"

Marta smiled at her eldest daughter, making a point to show her teeth. "Oh, come now, Johanna, you can't tell me that you think you would actually get caught? You, the expert of breaking into any place anywhere?"

Johanna returned the smile. "Not at all, I just thought I would bring up the issue. Perhaps this might make it easier. After all, what is one more face in the crowd? It might even be a chance for me to pay a visit to my sister as well."

Suddenly, Marta's good humor vanished. Her face became stern and her tone was commanding. "You are not to touch Lara. I want you to make contact with our eyes and ears inside the North Wind. That is all."

"But, mother, Lara needs to be sent a message. Eventually, she will need to learn that you are not to be crossed."

Marta's expression only hardened when she heard this. "I give you a certain freedom of expression, Johanna, because you are my daughter. You realize that if anyone else had just questioned me like that, they would be dead. However, the fact that you can do so, should not give you permission to constantly bring up an issue that you know I won't budge on. No harm is to come to Lara. Do I make myself clear?"

Johanna had always been more impulsive and outspoken than her mother. If Marta was ice, Johanna was fire, with the same capacity to destroy, only she burned hot and bright. She was implicitly loyal to Marta, and served her faithfully. But even she knew that there were certain lines that she couldn't cross. If she ever did, than she knew her status as her mother's daughter would not protect from punishment, or even death.

Therefore, though she was not happy about it at all, she lowered her head and nodded. "All right, I won't touch her unless she gets in my way. And even then, I won't kill her."

Marta seemed satisfied with this. "Good. Never forget, Johanna, that she is still your sister, and still just as much a part of this family as you are."

Johanna, recognizing that her mother had been pacified, dared to keep asking a question. "Mother, how can you be so forgiving of her? You know that she is and always has been the enemy?" It was a question that she had asked many times before. Her mother always had the same answer, and it never quite satisfied her.

"Patrick betrayed us, Johanna. That was why I had him killed. If I could have retrieved Lara that day, I would have done so. However, it would have been impossible for my followers to get past the North Wind agents. And then they moved her out to one of their bases in the Canadian wilds, to strong and protected for even one of me to get into."

"And there Lara was raised and taught to fight against us. She was indoctrinated from a young age to consider us the enemy, mother. How can you be so certain that will ever change?"

"Lara is innocent. It is not her fault that Patrick spirited her away. I know that one day, she will see the truth of what family really is, and she will join us. Until that day, she is not to be harmed by anyone who follows me."

Johanna had no choice but to accept this judgment of her mother's, knowing how useless it would be to argue. After all, once her mother decided on something like this, it was impossible to sway her. It was not Johanna's place or job to try and control or understand her mother. It was her duty to obey.

"I will try to find out where this big event is being held." she said, changing the subject. "It shouldn't be that hard to ascertain. I will just monitor the main transmissions of the North Wind. Such big events as these cannot be kept secret for very long."

"Nor should they." said Marta, "And were the matter not quite so dire, I might allow them to have their little soiree. I might be, in their eyes, a villain, but I am determined to be a gentle vixen about it. There is a time and a place for everything, and a party is simply not the place to try and cause mass chaos and violence."

"Even so, I do have one question. I am confidant that I can pull this off without being detected, but you know as well as I do that there are always factors that can't be replied upon. I can spare Lara if I meet her. But are there any other restrictions that are placed upon me in order to meet our contact?"

Marta smiled coldly and said, "Johanna, beyond the life of your sister, in this instance, I am giving you permission to do anything that you wish."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, having met the other members of Lara's family, I think that we can all agree that there is certainly some issues in her history when it comes to the North Wind, and those are some things that will be explored in the next chapter, when we meet Franklin as a young wolf cub, and how he and Lara first met.<strong>

**In the meantime, please leave a review. Thanks for the reads. **


	4. A New Life

**Thanks so much for your patience in between chapters. Real life, and having multiple other projects going on right now means that sometimes there can be a bit of a wait in between updates. Just be certain that I have by no means forgotten this story. **

**Speaking of which, get ready for another blast from the past, as we find out a little bit about Classified's family life before he became the top agent that we see him in the movie. And before his name became Classified, he was just a young cub named Franklin who dreamed big dreams. He's not the only one, though. We also will find out about his family life, and just how he met Lara. Enjoy!**

**Note: In this chapter, Lara and Franklin are about the human equivalent of twelve. Franklin's brother, James, is fourteen and Meg, his oldest sister, is sixteen. **

A New Life:

**The past, Somewhere in the Canadian wilderness**

The North Wind had several outposts all over the world. In remote places deep in forests, desserts or other unpopulated, difficult to reach areas, these outposts served as places of safety and refuge. Here, those North Wind agents who had mates and children were able to raise them in relative safety. These outposts were also where prospective agents received their initial training, in the academies of the North Wind.

Raised upon stories of greatness and adventure, many children of agents dreamed of following in their parents' footsteps and becoming heroes just like them. There were many who did not make it, for the training was long and hard. But, there were some of the younger generation who seemed destined for that sort of life.

One autumn day, two young creatures were indulging in their dreams. Franklin, a gray wolf, was running through the woods that lay around the compound located deep in the Canadian wilderness. He was practicing being both fast and stealthy at the same time. Separately, those two talents were fairly strong, but Franklin still had a long way until he could do both of them well.

Currently, he was pretending that he was being pursued by a horde of enemy soldiers. They were coming closer and closer to his location, and he knew that if he didn't find a hiding place soon, they would find him. He stopped in a clearing, and looked around, panting heavily. He imagined that he had run into a dead run and he was trapped. He could hear the sound of his pursuers coming through the brush. In another few moments they would find him and then...

"Psst, Franklin." An urgent whisper suddenly came from his left. He looked over and saw a flash of white and black barred feathers gesturing to him from the fork of two nearby trees. "Over here, quickly."

Franklin didn't hesitate, but immediately dived in that direction. Waiting for him was a snowy owl, whose name was Eva. She motioned for Franklin to keep down and out of the way. The two of them waited for several breathless moments, completely willing to believe that they were mere inches away from terrible danger. It was only their wits that were keeping them alive, and their training as world class agents.

Finally, as if at a per-arranged signal, they both breathed a sign of relief and relaxed. They were safe. "Are you all right, Franklin?" asked Eva, in her heavy Russian accent.

"Yes," said Franklin, as the two of them got to their feet. "I managed to get into the fort of Baron von Hertz without being detected, but I must have tripped some sort of alarm when I hacked his computer in order to get the file on his new hovercraft design."

"I told you to use the Trojan Horse program I designed." said Eva,disapprovingly. "That crocodile has more security on his systems than most masterminds."

Franklin shot her a glare. "I got out with the plans, didn't I? Besides, it would have taken two days longer for you to develop the Trajan Horse. The intelligence we gathered said that Hertz was getting ready to attack Lisbon with the hovercraft within the month. Every moment is precious under such circumstances, especially when the North Wind has no way of combating them. With this information, our headquarters in Spain can begin mounting a defense."

Eva sighed and shook her head. "Fine, but next time, just promise me that you won't go in by yourself. I very nearly lost you back there, and I had to defy orders to go in after you. I imagine that the only reason why we'll avoid a court martial is because you got the plans."

Franklin smiled at her. "Well, more than that, Eva; you did rescue me. That will certainly look impressive to our superiors. Where did you land the jet?"

"Just a few miles from here." Said Eva, pointing off in the direction of the North Wind Compound. "We had best get back before curfew."

The danger, the intrigue and the nefarious plots of the infamous crocodile underworld boss Baron von Hertz had all been a game. But, it was as real for this wolf and owl as if it had been real life. It was not uncommon to find Eva and Franklin out in the woods playing such elaborate and involved games of fantasy. Indeed, it was the favorite thing that they did together. They both dreamed, though, that someday in the future, those fantasies might become reality. There was nothing that either of them wanted more than to be agents of the North Wind.

It was getting near sunset by the time that Franklin and Eva returned to the confines of the North Wind compound. Eva said goodbye to Franklin, saying that she would meet him tomorrow in their usual place. She had a great idea for a new scenario that they could play through, but she wouldn't tell him no matter how much he pestered, saying that she needed to keep it a surprise.

Franklin came back home, feeling as though everything was right with his world and that things couldn't get any better. However, all of that changed when he walked in the door to the living room, and heard the obnoxious voice of his older brother, James. "Oh, man, Frankie, you are in so much trouble when I tell dad that you were outside the compound past curfew."

Franklin clench his fists and took several deep breaths, before turning to look at his brother, a wolf with black and silver patches all over his coat. "I was not out past curfew. All the young ones are supposed to be back inside the compound's perimeters by 7:00pm, and I was. The guards at the gate will be able to confirm it."

"Yeah, but you're back here at 7:30, and you know how dad values punctuality." He sidled up to Franklin, and punched him none to gently on the shoulder. "I suppose I don't have to remind you of what happened the last time this happened, you got grounded for two weeks, and sent to bed early. Those were some good times. I didn't have to put up with seeing your face in the evenings, not to mention I got first dibs on the TV."

Franklin growled slightly and said, "Go ahead, then, tell dad. I couldn't care less what he says. I know that I'm right."

"Yeah, a fat lot anyone cares about your opinion, little Frankie." said James, as he ruffled Franklin's head fur, an action calculated to drive his younger brother insane, not to mention the use of the nickname that Franklin had repeatedly told him he hated. "You're just a nobody in the world, Franklin, and that's all you ever will be."

Franklin wiggled away from James and beamed him a cold glare. "Well, I would rather be a nobody than a bully like you, James."

There is no telling quite how long this argument was liable to go on, until the appearance of another wolf, a teenager with a silver coat much like Franklin suddenly appeared in the stairwell. Immediately assessing the situation, she crossed the living room, and placed herself squarely between Franklin and James. "Boys, that is enough. I won't have mom and dad come in on a scene with the two of you arguing yet again."

"But James was-" Franklin tried to say, only for James to say at exactly the same time, "Frankie was late and-"

"Look, I don't care and it doesn't matter." said Meg, their older sister firmly. "I want you both to drop it. That's an order."

Both James and Franklin hung their heads. They were reluctant to make peace under any circumstances, but being forced to do so was even worse. They both muttered their assent, and spent the next thirty minutes sitting on opposite sides of the room, glaring wordlessly at each other.

Margaret, or Meg as as she was known to everyone in he family, sighed helplessly and went into the kitchen to start dinner. It was never easy with those two, she mused. James, at the age of fourteen was somewhat the darling of their father, and more often than not, abused that privileged status, usually at Franklin's expense. It was sometimes all that Meg could do to keep the peace between them before things got out of hand.

Their family life was not always harmonious, to say the least. A great deal of that had to do with the way in which their father, Charles, behaved in the family. He was a good wolf, and Meg had no doubt that he loved them all, in his own distant way. And therein lay the problem. Charles was _too_ distant. He had spent to many years as an agent on deep, undercover cases, which had made him reluctant to trust anyone easily, or even show affection to those who were closest to him.

It was especially difficult on Franklin, who idolized his father, but could never seem to do anything right in his eyes. When it came to his youngest son, Charles was always more apt to criticize than praise. Meg was almost glad that Franklin would be joining the North Wind Academy in the new year. It would be good for him to get out of the house, and out of his father's shadow. Only than, Mega believed, would he ever be able to reach his full potential.

Meg was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of someone approaching the house. She looked out the window, and saw that her parents were coming up the front walk. Charles, and his mate, Lisa, had been called out to the North Wind Headquarters on important business a few days ago, leaving Meg to watch her brothers.

They were also not alone. Walking along beside Lisa was a young golden fox, whose eyes were downcast and her shoulders slumped over, as though weighted down by a sadness that no cub her age should have had to bear. Meg didn't recognize her, but she had a sudden feeling as to what her parents had been called in for. "Franklin, James, mom and dad are back."

The two boys immediately came barreling in from the living room and looked out the window. "Who's that?" asked James, pointing to the fox. "I don't recognize her."

"She's not from around her. There aren't any foxes on base." Said Franklin, thoughtfully. "I wonder why she looks so sad."

Lisa and Charles had arrived at the front door by this time, and they came into the room. The three cubs rushed to meet them, though their warmest greetings seemed to come from Lisa, who greeted them all with a warmth and tenderness that her mate seemed to singularly lack.

"It's so wonderful to see you, mom." said Meg, "How was your visit to headquarters?"

"Very productive, my dear." said Meg.

"Margaret," Charles greeted, "Thank you for watching Franklin and James while we were away. I trust that they behaved themselves."

"As much as they ever do." said Meg.

"In that case, I might need to have a word with them." said Lisa.

"Franklin, James, Margaret, we have someone that we want you to meet." said Charles, in the stern tone he used whenever he was giving his children orders that he expected them to follow, "This is Lara." He gestured to the golden fox, who was standing in the center of the room, her head down. She hadn't said a single word since she had entered.

"Hello there, Lara," said Meg, stepping forward and offering a friendly paw to Lara. "My name is Meg, It's a pleasure to meet you."

Lara looked up briefly, but than looked back down again. Meg looked up at her mother, slightly confused. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, my dear, not at all." said Lisa, kindly, "I'm afraid that Lara has been through a rather traumatic period. She's just lost her father in terrible accident. The doctors at headquarters believe that she will recover with time."

"What's she doing here though?" asked James, who seemed rather bored by this whole thing.

"The North Wind has assigned her to our family, permanently." Charles kept his tone level. However, there was just a touch of resentment evident in his expression. He wasn't happy about following this particular order of the North Wind. In fact, it almost seemed as though he would have preferred nothing more than to have Lara out of his house. "I want you all to treat like any member of the family. Do I make myself clear?"

There were nods from all of the children, although how much they were sincere varied widely. "Very good." said Charles, who wanted all of this business cleared up as soon as possible. "Well, let's get ready for dinner. Lisa, will you show Lara to her room?" He moved away, and immediately began speaking with James, showing a great deal more attention to him than to any of the others.

Franklin wasn't exactly hurt by this. He had grown used to it. He was far more interested in Lara. For some reason, he liked her from almost the first moment he saw her. She seemed very sad. He wanted to see her smile. "Mom, can I help you with Lara?"

"Why, of course, Franklin. That's very good of you."

Franklin turned to Lara, and said, in a friendly voice. "Hi, my name is Franklin. Welcome to our home."

Lara looked back up at Franklin, and seemed to hold eye contact with him for a split second longer than Meg, but she still didn't make any sort of response. Franklin was slightly disappointed, but he had already made his promise. Somehow, he was going to get her to respond to him.

* * *

><p>It soon became apparent that despite Charles' admonition to his children that he treat Lara like a member of the family, he was not going to make much of an effort to see to her personal comfort. He treated her very much as a nonentity. He didn't speak to her unless absolutely necessary, and then, it was never for more than a few words.<p>

James took the order as meaning to treat Lara like Franklin. He was thrilled that he had someone new to torment. He teased her mercilessly. But Lara took everything that James doled out to her in stoic silence. As it was no fun to tease someone unless they reacted, James' frustration can well be imagined.

However, a few days after Lara arrived, James' actions would finally push Lara over the edge. Lara was sitting outside in the back yard, up against a tree. Her face was still lifeless and sad. Franklin was sitting beside her, trying to engage he gently in conversation, with little success.

That was when James came swaggering over to them, and said, "Well, well, what do we have here? My little brother Frankie, and his new silent pal. I can't see why you like hanging out with this girl, Franklin. She's more boring than you are."

"James, would you just go away?" Franklin asked, in exasperation.

But, James wasn't willing to listen to his brother. He turned to Lara, and said, "You know, a cub like you really shouldn't have such an expensive locket like that." He pointed to the locket that was around Lara's neck. It was the one item that she never wanted to part with. "It's way to delicate. You might break it."

"James, leave her alone." said Franklin, stepping between them.

James pushed him roughly aside, and said, "You run along, Frankie. This doesn't concern you." He turned back to Lara, and smiled patronizingly. "You know, there's a girl at school that's been saying she would like something like that. Why don't you let me give it to her? She's older than you, so she'll be more responsible. Wouldn't hurt my standing with her at all, either."

James was so wrapped up in his own self-satisfaction that he didn't see the change that had begun to come over Lara's face. The emptiness in her eyes vanished, only to be replaced with a flickering flame that was slowly growing stronger. As she watched James push Franklin around and than proceed to taunt her, she felt something besides sadness for the first time since the death of her father: anger, and a desire to protect someone one other than herself.

She may not have been talking, but she had seen and heard everything. And she had felt how kind Franklin was being to her, and when she saw him being bullied by his older brother, she wanted nothing more than to teach James a lesson.

James was completely unaware of this, and just kept digging himself into a deeper grave. "So, why don't you hand that locket over nice and quiet, and this can end easy. What do you say?"

Lara rose to her feet, her eyes by now bright and blazing. She looked James directly in the eye, and said, "Go away." Her tone was slightly hoarse from not being used in the past few weeks, but it was strong and filled with determination.

Hearing her speak for the first time caused both Franklin and James to gaze at her in shock for several seconds. Lara took a step towards James, her confidence growing and continued. "You, go away and stop bothering me. You don't scare me. You think that you're bigger and better than me, but you're not. You're nothing but a bully, and that makes you less than nothing."

Franklin gasped in shock. No one had ever spoken to his brother like that, except for their father. James, who was used to getting his own way through intimidation, was utterly speechless for several seconds. But, he recovered himself quickly and his eyes were flaming. "Fine, I'll just have to take it myself."

He reached for the locket, but Lara was to quick for him, and immediately darted out of his way. She jumped for his outstretched arm and sank her teeth into it. James yelped in pain and shook her violently off. Lara was knocked a few feet away. Slightly dazed, she tried to stand up, but she was met by a heavy slap from James' paw. "I'm going to teach you a lesson about who's in charge here."

"James!" The voice of Charles from behind them caused them all to turn around. There they saw Charles, who was looking more angry than Lara had yet seen him. And all of his anger was directed squarely at James.

"Y-yes, sir?" said James, who lost all of his bravado when faced with the full wrath of his father.

"I saw what you just did. How could you? You hit Lara!"

"She-She made me do it, father. It's all her fault."

"He's lying!" cried Lara, "He tried to take my locket. My father gave it to me. It's all I have left of him."

Charles seemed mildly surprised that Lara was at last talking, but he made no comment on the matter. His attention was still focused on James. "James, it is does not matter, even if it was her fault, which even I saw was not the case. Have you forgotten everything I tight you? I raised you to be a gentle canine, James, not a savage. A gentle canine _never_ hits a lady, for any reason. Come inside at once, young pup, and we will discuss your punishment."

James didn't even have the guts to glare at Lara as he went slinking across the yard and entered the house under the stern gaze of his father. He might have been the favorite, but not even that was to protect him from Charles when his temper was aroused. And he didn't dare try to provoke it further by any sign, however small.

When Charles and James had gone into the house, Franklin turned to Lara, his mouth still open in amazement. "You... you stood up to my brother."

"Yes." said Lara, as though it were the most natural thing, "He was going to hurt me, so I had to defend myself."

"But, what if my dad had believed my brother instead of you? You might be the one getting the punishment now instead of him."

Lara merely shrugged. "I would have done the same in any case. It's not right for him to think that he can push others around just because they are smaller than him."

"Yeah, I guess your right. I've just never been able to stand up to him like you did. I would never be able to beat him in a fight."

"It's not always a question of wining. Sometimes, you just need to know how to stay out of his reach. I... I could teach you a few things if you like."

"That would be great." said Franklin, with a grin, "And I could show you all of the best, secret places in the woods around here. Me and my friend Eva play there all the time."

"Really, what do you play?"

"Adventures of high daring and danger." said Franklin, with the wild excitement that always came into his face whenever he spoke of his desire to become an agent, even if it was still just in the innocent dreams of childhood. "Why, me and Eva have saved the world at least three times. I'm sure that she would love it if you were to join us."

It was at this point that Lara finally let loose a full smile. Franklin was nearly floored, because she looked so much prettier when she smiled. He had already promised himself that he would get her to smile. Now he made a new promise to himself to get to smile as much as he could in future. "I've never had a friend before, not one my own age really. I would love to be yours, Franklin."

"Lara, you are my friend. And I am glad to be yours."

From that day on, Lara and Franklin would become the very best and closet of friends. And yet, on that fall day in the wilds of Canada, not even they could have dreamed of just how their close bond would become, nor that it would see them through the challenges of the future.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, it wouldn't be a spy story if there weren't twisted family relations on both sides. We haven't heard the last of Franklin's father, or James, unfortunately. I also hope that you like the cameo from Eva. If there was one critique that I could have about Penguins of Madagascar, it's that there weren't any really strong female characters, besides Eva, and even she only got a few lines. I am going to remedy that, but again, I can't give to much away. <strong>

**In the meantime, please read and leave a review. **

**Next chapter: Going back to the present, Lady and Classified head back to the North Wind Headquarters, where the entire team finds out that Marta is planning something more nefarious than they originally anticipated. **


	5. Headquarters

Headquarters:

**The Present, North Wind Headquarters**

**Undisclosed Location**

When Classified and Lady returned to the Headquarters of the North Wind, they were met in the hangar bay by the Director himself, a kangaroo with a patch over his left eye. He had about a dozen different stories as to how he had lost that eye. No one really knew which one of them was actually true. The only thing that could be definitively said was that he had lost it in the line of duty. Like most of the Lead agents, the Director's true name was a strict secret. He was known only as Director Q. Q was stern and commanding. One didn't either respect or fear him upon first sight, they were quite possibly very stupid.

"Lady, Classified," said Q, as they wolf and fox came to him and threw him a smart salute. "Again, I apologize for pulling you back into the field, but we might be looking at a potential crisis."

"What is it, Director?" said Classified, "Your transmission sounded serious."

"It is serious." said Q, as the three of them entered an elevator and began to ascend. "We found something in that idiot Beakzilla's databanks. Eva and Giselle have been going over every megabyte and line of code that they could come across."

"I hadn't thought that Lawrence would have anything that would be of use." said Classified.

"He didn't, directly. It was what his database led us to that has caused the greatest amount of concern."

Before Lady or Classified could ask for anything further, the three of the exited the elevator, into one of the meeting rooms that surrounded the hanger bay. There was a long screen along one wall, with a bank of consoles in front of it. The table in the center of the room already had Corporeal, Justin and Short Fuse sitting at it. Giselle and Eva were busily working the controls of the computer.

Short Fuse greeted the two head agents with a smirk. "Hi there, you two. You get a chance to see DC, or did you spend the whole thing in the hotel room?"

Classified's ears twitched back and a warning growl erupted from his lips. "Watch it, Short Fuse."

Short Fuse didn't seem perturbed, though held up his fins in a placating manner. "He, hey, easy, Classified. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just saying..."

"What?" said Classified, dangerously."

"Belay that answer, Short Fuse." Q ordered, sternly. "I don't need you getting pummeled by Classified for saying the wrong thing. Honestly, I don't know where you got that lurid imagination of yours!"

"Don't blame me. My innocent mind was corrupted by the creatures around me."

Classified cuffed Short Fuse on the head, but the gesture was affectionate. Short Fuse was young to be part of a teams of agents. He was still only a teenager. However, he was also a prodigy, able to build, disarm or operate any type of weapon, particularly those that made really big explosions.

However, Short Fuse was not only a prodigy; he was also an orphan. The North Wind, and particularly Eva, Corporal and Classified, were the only family that he had ever known. The latter three, indeed, were all very fond of Short Fuse, even Classified, though he might never had admitted it.

"Now, what is this all about?" Lady asked Giselle and Eva, as she and Classified sat down (Q remained standing, as he never seemed to need to stand. It was art of his aura.)

"Well, suffice it to say that ol' Larry may not have been the most effective of super villains, but he was obsessive about keepin' track of every single detail of the interactions that he made with other animals of his ilk. We were goin' through his records and, well..." Giselle paused somewhat awkwardly here, before she said, We managed to come across a recording that he made with Marta."

This did catch Lady's attention. "My mother? You were able to find out something about my mother?"

"Here I was hoping that we had seen the last of her." Said Short Fuse.

"Short Fuse, you've never even encountered her." Said Corporeal.

"Exactly, and I was hoping that I never would. From all that I've heard, never running into her is a blessing and-" He trailed off when he caught sight of Classified's stern expression and realized that his words were not exactly tactful considering Lady's presence in the room. "Oh, uh, sorry, Lady. I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry, Short Fuse." said Lady, "I certainly never hoped that you would meet her. You're right that she has been very quiet over the last few years. I should have known that she hadn't slipped quietly into retirement. She's planning something big, isn't she?"

"I'm afraid so, Lady." said Eva, "I don't suppose that we really have to listen to the recording. It was made six months ago, when Marta was dropping off Jessica and Adam. Larry seemed reluctant to take on the responsibility of those prisoners, at first. He seemed to know that by doing so, the North Wind might start breathing down his neck."

"He wanted to know what he would get by throwing in his lot with Marta. And Marta started describing a project that she was working on, one that would make her unstoppable, and that anyone who followed her would reap a lot of rewards. Now, she didn't mention the project by name, but the way she described it struck both myself and Eva as being very familiar. So, we dug a little deeper."

"And what did you find?" asked Justin.

"Lady, what we found indicates that Marta is trying to complete something that your father started before he left her cartel." said Eva, "The name which keeps coming up is the Passkey Protocol."

When she heard that name, Lady's expression grew grave and worried. Across her face seemed to play a dozen different emotions and memories that none of them could have begun to comprehend. "Passkey? Are you sure?"

"I was under the impression that he never finished the protocol." said Classified.

"That's what he always told me." said Lady.

"Uh, could somebody please clarify what Passkey is supposed to mean?" Short Fuse asked.

"Short Fuse, I don't really know if you have the clearance to-" said Q.

"Q, it's hardly state secrets." said Lady, "My father,Patrick, worked with my mother's cartel in the past. He always said that he left after he had an awakening of conscience. He managed to escape with me, and sought asylum with the North Wind."

"I was not Director at the time." said Q, "But, I worked with Patrick when he first came to the North Wind. At the time, we were only just beginning to see her for the threat that she truly was. Her family has always been a thorn in our side, but Marta was and continues to be one of the worst of them all. Other villains always have an agenda, something concrete that they want, even if it a megalomaniac desire to take over the world. But, Marta has always been more elusive, more undefinable in just what it is that she wants."

"What she wants has always been quite simple, Q." Said Lady, with more than a little bitter sarcasm. "She is a genius and she gets bored easily. Creating chaos is the only way that she feels she can make something out of her life."

"At any rate," said Q, "though Patrick was prepared to work with the North Wind on many things to protect against both Marta and other threats, he was reluctant to hand over certain projects and research, even to the North Wind. He believed that some information was simply to dangerous. He was afraid that it might somehow end up in the wrong hands, and that it would spell the end of everything that the North Wind Worked for.."

"And what does this 'Passkey Protocol' have to do with anything?" Short Fuse asked.

"Passkey Protocol was the name my father gave to one of his most secretive projects. It was a computer hacking program, a digital skeleton key if you will, that he said could be used to break into any system."

"Patrick was a genius ahead of his time. His research made the North Wind's cyber protection one of the most advanced in the world." said Eva, "He's become something of a hero to the cyber tech teams, and his papers are required reading for most entry level classes. That's where Giselle and I both learned about Passkey."

"But if he died before he could finish it, what's the big deal?" Shot Fuse asked, "How could it be considered a threat?"

"Just because my father didn't finish it himself doesn't mean that nobody else could, Short Fuse." said Lady, "He always said that computers spoke their own language, but it was a language that anyone could learn."

"The North Wind were quick to realize that they a potentially dangerous weapon on their hands." said Q, "Once we realized the full implications of the Passkey Protocol could do, steps were taken to prevent it from being completed. The research and the parts of the code that Patrick was able to program were dispersed and have been stored in the most secure vaults of the North Wind Vaults throughout the world."

Justin looked over at Q. "I assume that you would know where they are?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that." said Q, cryptically.

"Lovely, thank you for the non-answer." said Short Fuse.

"But getting back to why this is a serious issue now, according to the chatter that we were able to pick up from various underground channels, Marta is working on finishing the protocol. She's not only trying to find the vaults where the research and code are located, but her own scientists are trying to finish it."

"And if she does finish it, the consequences could be disastrous." said Q, gravely. "Marta could use it to undermine all of the North Wind's operations. She could steal or copy any classified information that she so choose."

"Even worse, my father made the Protocol to be virtually undetectable." said Lady. "My mother cold potentially take any secret she wished from the North Wind Database, and we would be none the wiser until it was to late."

"All of our agents in the field would be compromised." said Classified, "Our bases would be exposed to attack and infiltration. Marta could put whatever secret she wished up to the highest bidder."

"Do you think that Dr. Rubinstein could have brought those files with him when he defected?" Giselle asked.

Q shook his head. "I highly doubt it. Rubinstein never had any kind of access to Patrick's files."

"Even if he could have, I highly doubt that he could have understood them." said Lady, "He was a biologist, after all."

Justin scoffed and shook his head. "Sorry, Lady. But ever since that hyena took his spotted hide over to work for Marta, I can believe him capable of any sort of hidden talent."

They were speaking of Dr. Engelbert Hans Rubinstein, who had once been a valued member of Lady's team. Known as Bertie to his friends, the spotted hyena had been the scientific arm of Lady's team. He was a genius, bu he was also slightly insane. They had all considered him to be a very good friend. However, nearly one year before, he had changed sides. With no warning whatever, he had started working for Marta. The betrayal had come as a blow to them all. Justin, especially, had been the most outraged, and he hardly ever referred to him by name anymore.

"It hardly matters how Marta got hold of the information." said Q, "What does matter is that we find out how close she is to completing it."

"Sir," said Classified, his face and voice both showing concern, "Given that there might be a potential security threat, do you think it is a wise thing to have the upcoming gala? It might be an ideal chance for Marta to do something destructive that would further her own goals."

Q seemed to consider this for a moment, before shaking his head. "I honestly don't know, Classified. You do carry a valid point, and I would hate to put any innocent civilians in danger."

"Sir, you can't." said Justin, "I mean begging your pardon, sir, but we can't cancel the gala. Don't you see, if we allow ourselves to give into Marta, even over something as small as this gala might be, than she gains a victory. We can't allow that to happen. The North Wind will never be dictated to by unseen terrorists."

"Amen, Justin, mate!" said Giselle, enthusiastically. "It's against everything we stand for. And just let Marta try to hurt anyone at the gala. We'll show her a little North Wind hospitality that will leave her in a jail cell."

"I have to agree with my teammates, Director." said Lara, "And moreover, I know my mother. She has a strange sort of code of honor. She doesn't like unnecessary damage unless her target is assured. There would be to many variables at a place like the gala in order for to mount an effective strike."

Q looked from Lara to Classified, and finally said, "Very well, the gala will go forward. But, I will be posting extra guards and there will be increased security. I don't want to give Marta even the chance to set a foot inside the perimeter."

"Sir, with your permission, I'd like to be on the guard detail." Said Justin, "My family came to the last gala, so I won't really be needing to see anyone."

"Very generous of you, Justin." said Lady, "Of course, you do kind of hate parties, so this can hardly be a hardship for you."

Justin grinned. "Yeah, this way, I can be useful and avoid having to do any socializing as well. Just save me some of the food and I'll be good."

"Well then, it all seems to be settled." said Q, "I will be wanting to meet with you over the next few days about a possible plan of action. In the meantime, I suggest that your team, Lady, start cracking down on your father's old journals. There may be something there that you missed on your first go around. I'll have the files sent over to you."

No one but Classified could have seen that Lara's face flashed with a deep uncertainty, before she said, calmly. "Of course, Q."

"And as for your team, Classified, I want you to try and determine where Mara is in her research, and if she if planning to hit any of our bases. Figure out ways to protect our outposts that have the most need of protection. This is a joint mission between the two of your teams, so take whatever help you can from each other."

Both Classified and Lady saluted. "Yes, sir." They both said.

* * *

><p>A little while later, Classified found Lady working by herself in her office. Around her were boxes filled with files marked as "top secret." Patrick's name was all over them. Lady was absorbed in one such report, but when she heard Classified come into the room, she looked up with a slight smile. "Q wasn't kidding when he told me that he would be sending over <em>all<em> of the files that they had on my father."

"He is nothing if not thorough." said Classified. He came over and sat down across from her. "How are you?"

"What do you mean?" Lady asked, as she seemingly went back to reading the report.

Classified, however, wasn't buying it. He reached over and took the report from her paws. "Don't give me that, Lara. I know how difficult this must be for you. You don't like being reminded that your mother and sister are two of the North Wind's most wanted criminals. Now, a case that involves them is bringing you right back into contact with you father's memory. You must be feeling something."

Lady drew a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. "All right, yes. I hate it. My father was killed right in front of my eyes, and my mother did it. And now, I find out that my mother is trying to destroy everything that I stand for sing a computer slicer program that my father designed while he was still working for her. This situation doesn't exactly fill me with joy."

He reached over and took her paw. "Listen to me, Lara, you think that you're up to this? You could always tell Q-"

"No, Classified. I don't like this, but I know that I also have to do it. I'm the only one who could make out dad's scribblings half the time. I'm his daughter. I made a promise long ago that I would bring my mother and sister to justice. This might be my best chance of doing that. I don't have a choice, Classified."

She once again took the file from him, and began reading it once more. For a long a moment, Classified looked at her. He would have given anything to take this burden away from her. But he also knew how strong his Lara was. All he could do was support her and be there for her in whatever was coming.

He got to his feet and only said, "You know where to find me if you need me."

She looked up and said, "Yes, I know."

It was such a simple exchange, and yet for the two of them, it spoke volumes. Classified than left her reading. There was, after all, still a mission that needed to be completed.

* * *

><p>After the meeting with Classified and Lady's teams, Q had gone back to his office. He had resumed his work, but his thoughts were never far from what the morning's news. His second-in-command, a raven who was code-named Shade noticed his attitude. That evening, she came into his office. Closing the door, she went over to his desk and said, "Sir, you are aware that I was listening in on the meeting you had today with Classified and Lady's teams?"<p>

"I would think you remiss if you hadn't done something like that." said Q.

"I don't recall that you mentioned the suspicion that you've been having the past few months."

"You mean the one about the mole? Well, it must have slipped my mind."

"You don't trust them, do you?"

"Do you think that I completely trust anyone, Shade, even you?" Shade merely answered him with a raised eyebrow. "All right, so I do trust you. But this is serious, Shade. I don't believe that anyone on either Lady or Classified's team could be a spy for Marta, but things are just to dangerous right now to take the risk."

"But, you are hoping to use the gala to draw out whoever it might be, aren't you?"

"Of course, I am. Marta may not be showing up there, but I think I know who will, and I want her followed when she tries to break in. However, I think that we might be needing a little outside help for this one, someone who has no obvious connections to the North Wind."

"I thought you would say that. And I assume that you also have someone in mind already."

"Of course. What we need are animals who are totally unpredictable, unexpected, even perhaps a touch crazy. I want the team that helped subdue Dr. Octavius Brine a few months ago."

"Sir, you mean...?"

"Yes, the four most unlikely heroes that we've ever encountered. The Penguins of Madagascar, they are just the ones we will be needing."

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, the penguins of Madagascar are soon to make their first appearance. I am really looking forward to including them, and see what new shenanigans they'll get into with no just one, but two North Wind teams added to the mic. <strong>

**Also, just a few things that I wanted to point out. 1) Yes, Q is based on Director Fury from the Marvel Universe, as well as the James Bond character, M. the opportunity was simply to good to pass up. 2) Dr. Engelbert Hans Von Rubinstein is going to be introduced in the next chapter. Every spy thriller needs a good mad scientist, and every mad scientist needs a long, weird name. Also, just be aware that even though he might be on the wrong side, there is always more than what meets the eye. 3) I am trying to give every character in this story a bit of a back story, which is why I went a little bit into Short Fuse's background and personality. We didn't really find out about the actual characters of the North Wind in the movie, so I wanted to give them a bit more depth. **

**Please, read and review. **

**Next chapter: We take a trip back in time to the school days of Lara and Franklin in the North Wind training academy. Expect mad hyenas who burst into opera at the slightest provocation and spring romance in the air for more than a few pairs of creatures. **


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